


A Righteous Path

by sempre_balla



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21876196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sempre_balla/pseuds/sempre_balla
Summary: The first time Jill and Lethe met, they did so as enemies.—Jill, Lethe, and the changes in their relationship.
Relationships: Jill Fizzart/Lethe
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	A Righteous Path

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my second fic for [House of the Lily](https://twitter.com/YuriRenaissance/), a wonderful fanzine that celebrates f/f relationships in Fire Emblem games. You can read my first piece [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21859987/). It's Elincia/Leanne, my favorite rare pair!
> 
> A huge thank you to [Carolina](https://twitter.com/CarlzSays/) for drawing a gorgeous cover of this fic for the zine, and to my friend [Sophie](https://twitter.com/amenochigalileo/) for her beta work! I had a blast working on this.

The first time Jill and Lethe met, they did so as enemies. The Daein army was trying to chase and eradicate Ike’s mercenary company and Jill, young, foolish and determined to impress her superiors, decided to pursue them on her own. However, due to circumstances she could not have predicted, she ended up joining the company on their journey to Begnion. It was only a temporary arrangement, she told herself, a truce to uphold while they travelled in the same boat. 

Although the ship was more than spacious enough for her and her wyvern, Jill spent as much time as she could flying over it. The reason for that were the sub-humans Ike was travelling with; a cat named Lethe and a tiger named Mordecai. The moment she met the beasts, Jill felt her skin start to crawl with an undeniable itch to reach out for her lance and kill them on the spot. Mordecai was tall and broad; he seemed quiet but dangerous. Lethe was small and short, but when she snarled at her Jill could see pointed, inhuman fangs. It was surprising to see her talking and standing on two legs because Jill had never seen one of her kind untransformed before—if it weren’t for her catty ears and long tail, she wouldn’t look any different than a human, but the wyvern rider knew better. She had seen the form the beasts took in order to fight, their humanoid frames morphing into something large and monstrous, so Jill avoided them and glared at them from a distance. Sometimes, Lethe would meet her gaze and glare back. She’d show her fangs and claws, clearly trying to be threatening. Jill hated Lethe’s aggressive gaze and thought that her intense purple eyes were more unsettling than any of her more animalistic traits.

The thing about travelling with Ike, however, was the man tolerated no discrimination against the sub-humans. He only agreed to let Jill travel with them under the condition that she would address the laguz with respect, no calling them ‘half-beasts’ or ‘sub-humans’, and all Jill could do was reluctantly agree. She had no reason or desire to interact with the beasts, but she figured she could comply for her own safety. As soon as they got to Begnion and Jill could set her feet on firm land, she would turn her lance on the beasts and fulfill her role as a Daein soldier. 

That was her intention, at the very least. Jill could try to look the other way all she wanted, but it was impossible not to notice how the weeks passed without any of the sub-humans acting like anything other than rational people. And then their ship got stranded in Goldoa, the land of the dragon tribe, who were supposedly the most fearsome and powerful laguz subspecies. Jill saw the beasts on the shore transforming into giant red dragons and, before she could hop onto her tired wyvern’s back to put some distance between them, the dragons used their might to push the ship away from the land, which was a much needed help. As the ship sank back into the waves and Jill gripped onto the taffrail for balance, she felt her own beliefs being shaken along with its movement and the force of the laguz pushing it. The moment they made it to Begnion and she set her feet on solid land she felt unsteady, like every step she took would bring her to the ground. 

The sub-humans were evil. They were savages, mindless beasts. That was what she had been taught ever since she was a child; it was what everyone in Daein said. Jill had participated in laguz hunts, back in her homeland. She had killed without mercy because she never believed the half-beasts deserved any. That might have been why she hated Lethe the most. In Lethe’s eyes, Jill found an undeniable glint of intelligence. She spoke with the same words as the humans did, she laughed with them and ate with them and used her monstrous cat form to fight for them. Lethe made her uncomfortable because she was a constant reminder that everything Jill had been taught was wrong and that maybe, just maybe, she had been the inhuman one all along for hating the laguz and killing them without a second thought.

Jill could not bear to continue living with her ignorance and the hatred inside of her, so she didn’t part ways with Ike’s army when the journey was over. Instead, she decided to seek Lethe out. She approached her one evening and the moment their eyes met, Jill instinctively flinched. She felt small and vulnerable under the cat’s gaze and when she talked, she stuttered. The conversation was a disaster: Jill accidentally called her a half-breed and her enemy again, and Lethe left in a rage. Still, Jill steeled herself to keep trying. In their short conversation she had realized just how clever Lethe truly was. For the first time ever, she managed to look past her prejudice and grasp the fact that the cat had a very distinct personality. Lethe seemed to have a quick temper, and she was prideful. She was a willing warrior, and carried herself with confidence. Jill could see herself in her, somewhat, and she felt that her own immaturity and lack of knowledge set them apart more than their physical differences did.

So she tried again. It took her a couple of weeks to gather the courage, but when she did, she finally managed to have a proper conversation with Lethe. Lethe even called her by her name! She took the time to listen to Jill when she told her that she had never known better, that she had never questioned the things she had been taught about the laguz, and even though Lethe bristled at her, her words about Jill’s ignorance harsh, she explained everything Jill had not been taught. The cat revealed the true history of Tellius to her, she spoke of a time where humans and sub-humans—or rather, beorc and laguz—lived together in harmony, and of the way in which that trust was broken by the beorc. She gave Jill what was probably the most important lesson of her life, and the wyvern rider only then realized that her fear of Lethe had turned into admiration. Lethe was so strong, so knowledgeable, so sure of her beliefs and Jill wanted to be like her—she wanted to be _with_ her just so she could learn more from her. Lethe ended their conversation on an angry note, declaring that if Jill didn’t have the guts to think about what Lethe had said then she should never show herself in the cat’s presence again.

Desperate for Lethe’s approval and her own personal growth, Jill thought long and hard. Instead of mingling with the others as they advanced towards Daein, she flew over the march with her wyvern, looking ahead and thinking, pondering. They were enteringher beloved country, every soldier prepared to take the life of the king Jill had once sworn to fight for, yet she felt a surprisingly small amount of hesitation. She had her doubts, there was no avoiding that when her father was an enemy general that would most likely stand in their way at some point. But even with her doubts, she thought and thought and thought, and could reach no conclusion other than she was on the right side of this conflict. Knowing what she knew now, she didn’t think she could ever raise her weapon against another laguz and keep her conscience intact. She loved her country, but not the way in which it raised her into a hateful, ignorant person. Jill wanted Daein to change into a place where she could form a connection with Lethe without being branded a traitor. It was selfish, perhaps, but she couldn’t deny her feelings anymore.

Despite Jill’s confidence about her choice, taking down her father was not easy. Afraid that she would waver and change sides if she saw the face of the man who raised her, she stood back on the battlefield. As if she was expecting her to turn on them, Lethe kept a close eye on her for the entirety of the battle and even though the distrust hurt, Jill sat still, clinging tightly onto her wyvern’s reins until her fingers felt numb. Her father fell out of her sight, and Jill closed her eyes. Even like that, she could feel Lethe’s gaze on her, heavy and almost palpable, and what had once been unsettling felt grounding now. With those sharp eyes on her, Jill felt immensely aware that she was being watched, and the self-consciousness that brought her made her realize she wasn’t breathing. She opened her mouth, inhaled deeply, and wiped the tears that started falling down her cheeks. Farther along the battlefield, cheers that announced their victory erupted, and Jill only cried harder. Although she didn’t look at the laguz, she was sure Lethe’s eyes didn’t leave her at all.

The next day, Jill approached Lethe again. She wanted to tell her that she had thought about her words, and that even in her grief she felt that she had made the right choice. Jill’s father was a good man, a sad casualty in a pointless war, but she could mourn her loss while still fighting for what she believed was right. Instead of being as confrontational as usual, Lethe extended her hand, saying that she wanted to shake Jill’s in a sign of friendship. She said she empathized with her choice and admired the strength it took to make it, and Jill could swear that she had never heard anything more touching in her life. She shook the cat’s hand, squeezed it hard, and if she found Lethe’s warmth comforting and lingered more than she should have for a handshake, then no one but her had to know. If, that night, she brought the hand Lethe had held close to her face, recalled Lethe’s smile—more beautiful than Jill had ever realized—and let the memory warm her, then that was a secret she kept to herself.

Surprisingly, the rest of the war went by smoothly. Jill and Lethe started spending time with each other. They talked, marched, ate and fought together. Jill had been right; they had a lot in common and their personalities complemented one another incredibly well. Jill adored Lethe’s company and often asked herself if she deserved it, or if she should let herself indulge in it when they were at war, but she tried to abandon those thoughts because the moment the war was over they would part, with each of them going to their respective countries. Lethe had an important role in her country’s military and Jill wanted to stay in Daein to help her nation rise and become a more accepting place. That was why she tried to treasure every moment she spent with Lethe, and why a part of her felt that the war was over far too soon. Before she realized it, Ike had taken down the Daein King, Ashnard, and everyone was getting ready to leave. Jill was _not_ ready. She ran across the gardens in the aftermath of the final fight until she spotted a head of bright orange hair. When Lethe saw her approaching she smiled and offered a hand, probably expecting another handshake. Jill threw her arms around her, going for a hug instead. In her arms, Lethe truly felt a lot smaller, and she had none of the bulk Jill had built up while wielding heavy weapons. When she hugged back, however, she was strong, her arms around Jill’s waist almost crushing.

“We’ll see each other again, my friend,” Lethe said when they pulled back to look into each other’s eyes.

“I’ll miss you, Lethe,” Jill replied, feeling close to tears. “I will carry everything that you taught me.”

Lethe smiled wider than Jill had ever seen her do, and she decided to carry the memory of that smile with her as well. She remembered it vividly when she journeyed back to Daein, when she helped rebuild her country, and even when the years passed, she could still recall the warmth and strength of that hug and the radiance of that smile. She didn’t see Lethe for three years and she missed her dearly, but that was okay, because the knowledge and the memories Lethe gave her stayed with Jill. During their separation, she worked hard to grow into a woman Lethe would be proud to call her friend—and maybe, if Jill let herself indulge in the feelings she was still too afraid to acknowledge directly, something more than a friend. Jill dreamed of their reunion, wondered when they would be able to meet again, and eagerly anticipated the day it would happen.

She could have never imagined that that reunion would happen on opposite sides of a battlefield. Things became complicated in Daein, Begnion’s aid turning into oppression over the years, and Jill joined a woman named Micaiah in the efforts to reclaim their country. They thankfully managed to crown a new king, but soon after he rose to his rule he decided to lend his military forces to Begnion to fight against the Laguz Alliance. Jill could not even begin to fathom why that decision was made, but she loved her country and trusted Micaiah enough to obey her orders for the time being. Inevitably, she felt a crushing, unbearable guilt every time she brought her axe down on an enemy laguz. Whenever she struck down an orange cat, she recalled Lethe and the way in which she had once hated her, then learned how to accept her until all she felt for the other woman was love. She wondered what Lethe would say if she saw what Jill was doing. Would she resent her? Would she despise her? Would the trust they had so painstakingly managed to build together be broken?

Jill did not have to wait for long to find out. They were fending off the Laguz Alliance at the Ribahn River, and while her allies fought back waves after waves of beast laguz, she advanced on her wyvern to try to spot the enemy general. She had expected to encounter her friend on the field eventually, but she was still shocked when she was faced with Lethe’s familiar features. She looked exactly like Jill remembered her, and when the cat spotted her, her bright eyes shone with a warmth Jill did not deserve. Lethe did not resent or condemn her; she smiled and told her that they were friends and that no war could change that. It was almost ironic that Jill had once considered the laguz incapable of speech when Lethe’s words could so easily move her to tears. They fought, but neither of them injured the other, holding back for reasons clear to them both. The laguz had to retreat, but Jill knew for a fact that she would have to face Lethe again and she completely dreaded the thought. She almost felt compelled to leave her country and fight for Lethe instead of against her, but Daein was now ruled by good people that she could not abandon. Furthermore, Lethe understood. The cat had shown a respect for her choices that Jill could not betray, not while the war was still going on.

But the war did not go on forever. It had a strange culmination in a final, desperate attempt from Daein to hold the Laguz Alliance back. While the fighting was happening, a blinding light shone down from the skies, forcing Jill to drop her axe and cover her eyes. When she felt it was safe to open them again, a majority of the soldiers had been turned to solid stone. She couldn’t even begin to understand what was happening, but she knew that Lethe was on this battlefield and, fearing that she had been turned into a statue as well, the wyvern rider took to the skies. Not everyone was petrified; a few allies and enemies remained moving, and Jill became desperate in her search, hurrying her mount to fly towards the side of the field where the beast laguz had been fighting. The second she spotted a shock of hair the most beautiful shade of bright orange, the same color as the setting sun, she lowered her wyvern to the ground and hopped off in a hurry, twisting her ankle in the process. She hissed in pain but continued to run towards the small group of moving laguz, not caring that they were enemies, not caring about the danger she was putting herself in.

“Lethe!” she cried, her voice impossibly loud in the eerie silence of the field. She saw a head whip around to face her, and tears welled in her eyes. “Lethe!”

“Jill?” Lethe said, opening her arms to catch her the moment Jill dived into them. She wrapped her arms around the cat’s back and squeezed, taking a heaving breath when Lethe squeezed her back. “You’re okay!”

“Yeah,” Jill sighed, carding her fingers through Lethe’s short hair. Jill had gotten taller during the time they’d been apart, and she could now feel Lethe’s breath against her neck, her warmth seeping directly into her skin. “Oh, Lethe, I don’t know what is happening… but let’s never fight again.”

Lethe nodded and Jill felt the motion against her body—a sensation that was delightfully comforting. “There’s no reason for the war to go on like this.” She pulled back, ending the hug far too soon. “Let’s search for other survivors and see what we can find out. Together, okay?”

“Okay,” Jill said. Lethe started to walk away and Jill reached forward to take one of her hands in her own. “W-wait! Lethe, I, I…”

There was too much unsaid between them, too much to tell, too many feelings that Jill could not keep hidden anymore, but Lethe effectively quieted her when she leaned forward and up, and pressed their lips together in a kiss so firm that it hurt a little—but that kind of force and confidence was so utterly like Lethe that Jill found herself loving it regardless. Lethe pulled back far too soon again, but she was smiling now, the same smile in Jill’s memories that she had clung onto for so long.

“Later,” Lethe told her, starting to pull Jill by the hand. “We’ll be together from now on, so tell me later.”

Jill, a mess of emotions but finally at ease thanks to Lethe’s warm touch, could only nod and follow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you liked this work you can consider reading [you'll always paint my sky](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17486621/) as well, which is a shorter fic I wrote with a similar tone to this one but written from Lethe's POV.


End file.
